How to Not Organize Your Gear Shed, by Pro Climber Cedar Wright

Welcome to professional climber Cedar Wright’s Boulder gear shed, or, as he calls it, his “discombobulated junk show.” It’s also an adventure athlete’s paradise packed into a one-car garage that’s bursting with ice climbing, paragliding, big-wall climbing, and biking equipment stacked in neat—and not so neat—piles.

Photo: Alison Vagnini

Wright is not only an accomplished climber but also a strong paraglider. Last spring, he logged a flight off 18,400-foot Pico de Orizaba, the highest mountain in Mexico.

Photo: Alison Vagnini

“I’m coming and going a lot, and stuff’s getting loaded in and out of my van quite often. The stuff I use less often gets filtered to the back,” Wright says.

Photo: Alison Vagnini

When we stopped by last fall, Wright had all his climbing gear laid out in preparation for a Moab trip.

Photo: Alison Vagnini

His array of first-ascent gear.

Photo: Alison Vagnini

One of Wright’s most valuable pieces of gear is his around-town cruiser—the black bike with the green grips. “One of the reasons I love living in Boulder is that I rarely get in my car unless I’m going on a road trip.”

Stuff that doesn’t get used migrates to piles at the back of the garage. Note the home improvement gear.

Photo: Alison Vagnini

Fan mail.

Photo: Alison Vagnini

Wright’s adventuremobile: a Dodge Grand Caravan. “It’s a little more modest than the dirtbags with their Sprinters,” he says.

Photo: Alison Vagnini

“I’m definitely not the world’s most organized person. I tend to just sort of pile in a bunch of stuff that will allow me to have fun. Usually, once I get there, I’m missing at least one thing, but hopefully it’s not like a harness, chalk bag, or shoes.”

Photo: Alison Vagnini

Wright removed the back seating in the Dodge and installed a plywood hinge under his mattress for gear storage.

Photo: Alison Vagnini

“It’s better to spend your money on experience. This all enables that. It allows me to have cool, fun adventures and take off at a moment’s notice. Lucky me.”

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